Standing on the outside looking in

11 January – 1 February 2014

Foyer space: Ben Taylor

Standing on the outside looking in

Ben Taylor’s painting practice attempts to inhabit two spaces at once. He calls these spaces – the threshold. Ben believes the threshold to contain a particular quality that extends across context, definition and sits somewhere in a space of the in-between. Standing on the outside looking in is a site-specific painting installation that encompasses the entire surface area of the Foyer space of Constance. The space has formed the subject of Ben’s paintings that directly relate to the light and architecture of this transitional zone of the gallery. The installation takes into consideration the transitional zones that already exist in the space, including the doorways, cabinets, windows and skylights, and add other potential doorways and windows the escape to.

This new body of work also investigates the material thresholds of paint. Ben’s practice methodology usually involves repeated pours made over a stencil applied to a canvas, which slowly builds glazes and transparencies. For PAINTFACE Ben has removed the stencil from his methodology and explored a more controlled freehand pour. PAINTFACE marks an innovative and experimental leap in Ben’s painting practice. One that combines the forces of a new school of painters, taking painting to its material, conceptual and technical limits.

This exhibition was presented by Constance ARI as part of PAINTFACE curated by Polly Dance and funded by the Australia Council for the Arts.